03/25/2014
A Rio Grande Valley man filed a short-lived on-line petition on the White House website asking the United States to "Invade Mexico" to end corruption and drug cartel violence.
Action 4 News spoke with the petition's creator, who only wished to be as "R.G." who said the petition was no joke.
The Mission man told Action 4 News that he was born in San Juan but grew up near Mexico City.
R.G. said he and his family have personally felt the effects of the drug war, its violence and corruption.
"What you see on the news here is nothing compared to what's really going on," R.G. told Action 4 News.
R.G. later said he is withdrawing the petition citing personal safety concerns for him and his family.
Drug War
Mexico's current President Enrique Peña Nieto recently acknowledged the capture of Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who was one of the most wanted men in the world.
Peña Nieto's administration stopped reporting drug war deaths but the last known figures put the death toll at 60,000 dead with another 26,000 missing.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City renewed a travel alert for the neighboring State of Tamaulipas just of the Valley as well as other parts of Mexico due to ongoing and sporadic violence.
R.G. said he closely follows the news on both sides of the border and is worried by the rise of "cartel-like" crimes in the Valley.
The Mission man said the United States needs to intervene with force before the problem gets worse.
"It's ridiculous that its crossing to this side," R.G. said about cartel-like crimes. "Maybe it was already here, but maybe they feel more comfortable now."
White House Petition
According to the White House website, anyone 13 years or older can create an on-line petition.
But a petition must reach 150 signatures within 30 days in order to cross the first threshold to be searchable on the www.WhiteHouse.gov website.
The petition must also reach 100,000 signatures within 30 days to require a response from the White House.
Once a petition crosses that threshold, the response will be posted and linked to the petition on www.WhiteHouse.gov, as well as emailed to all of the petition signers.
Petitions that do not cross this threshold in the given timeframe will be removed from the website.
Among the unusual petitions filed on the White House, are ones to give Alaska back to Russia and another to deport pop star Justin Bieber, who is a Canadian citizen.
No comments:
Post a Comment